Ten years after the invasion of Naboo, the galaxy stands on the brink of civil war as thousands of solar systems threaten to secede from the Galactic Republic. Padawan Anakin Skywalker is assigned to protect Senator Padmé Amidala, sparking a forbidden romance that challenges his Jedi vows. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan Kenobi investigates an assassination attempt that leads him to a mysterious ocean planet and the discovery of a secret clone army. As the Jedi are drawn into a conflict with the Separatists led by Count Dooku, the Clone Wars begin.
Information |
|
|---|---|
Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
May 16, 2002 |
Running time |
142 minutes |
Genre |
Sci-Fi
Adventure Action |
Budget |
$115,000,000 |
Box Office |
$653,779,970 |
Crew |
|
Directed by |
George Lucas |
Produced by |
Rick McCallum |
Written by |
George Lucas Jonathan Hales |
Music by |
John Williams |
Cinematography |
David Tattersall |
Edited by |
Ben Burtt |
Production Co. |
Lucasfilm Ltd. |
Distributed by |
20th Century Fox |
Top Cast |
|
|
|
Official Trailer |
|
Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #05 in Star Wars Collection
|
The Plot
Crisis in the Republic
Ten years after the blockade of Naboo, the Galactic Republic teeters on the brink of collapse. A Separatist movement led by Count Dooku, a former Jedi Master turned political idealist, threatens to tear the galaxy apart. In response, the Galactic Senate debates the Military Creation Act to establish a standing army for the Republic. Senator Padmé Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, returns to Coruscant to lead the opposition to the Act, believing it will only lead to war. Upon her arrival, her starship is destroyed in an assassination attempt that kills her decoy, Cordé. At the request of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, the Jedi Council assigns Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, to protect her.
That night, a bounty hunter named Zam Wesell attempts to kill Padmé in her sleep using poisonous kouhuns. Anakin and Obi-Wan intervene just in time, chasing the assassin through the neon-lit skyline of Coruscant. They corner Wesell at the Outlander Club, but before she can reveal her employer’s identity, she is silenced by a toxic saberdart fired by a mysterious armored figure who flees into the night. The Jedi Council assigns Obi-Wan to track down the killer, while Anakin is tasked with escorting Padmé back to Naboo for her safety. Anakin, infatuated with Padmé since childhood, struggles to balance his duty with his growing feelings for her.
The Cloners of Kamino
Obi-Wan’s investigation leads him to the ocean planet of Kamino, a system strangely erased from the Jedi Archives. There, he is greeted by Prime Minister Lama Su, who reveals a massive clone army is being bred for the Republic, allegedly ordered ten years prior by the late Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas. Obi-Wan learns that the bounty hunter Jango Fett served as the genetic template for the clones. Suspecting Fett is the assassin he seeks, Obi-Wan confronts him. Jango, accompanied by his unaltered clone "son" Boba, attempts to flee, leading to a fierce battle on a rain-swept landing platform. Though Jango escapes, Obi-Wan plants a homing beacon on his ship, Slave I, and tracks him to the desert planet of Geonosis.
Meanwhile, on Naboo, Anakin and Padmé grow closer, their professional relationship blossoming into a forbidden romance. Anakin confesses his love, but Padmé resists, citing their responsibilities to the Senate and the Jedi Order. Anakin is also plagued by nightmares of his mother, Shmi, suffering on Tatooine. Ignoring his orders, he travels with Padmé to his home planet to find her. He learns she was freed from slavery and married a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars, but was recently abducted by Tusken Raiders.
Tragedy on Tatooine
Anakin tracks the Tuskens to their camp and finds his mother tortured and on the brink of death. She dies in his arms moments after their reunion. Consumed by grief and rage, Anakin slaughters the entire tribe—men, women, and children. Far away on Coruscant, Yoda senses a terrible disturbance in the Force as Anakin’s spirit darkens. Anakin returns Shmi’s body to the Lars homestead for a funeral, confessing his actions to Padmé and vowing to become powerful enough to stop people from dying.
On Geonosis, Obi-Wan discovers a Separatist gathering led by Count Dooku. He learns that the Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray ordered the hits on Padmé and that the Separatists are building a massive droid army. Obi-Wan transmits a message to Anakin and the Jedi Council but is captured by droidekas before he can finish. Mace Windu assembles a strike team of Jedi to rescue him, while Representative Jar Jar Binks proposes granting emergency powers to Chancellor Palpatine, authorizing the deployment of the clone army.
The Arena and the Battle of Geonosis
Anakin and Padmé travel to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan but are captured in a droid factory. They are sentenced to death in the execution arena alongside Obi-Wan. Facing three monstrous beasts—a reek, a nexu, and an acklay—the trio fights for survival as Dooku and the Separatist leaders watch. Just as they are cornered, Mace Windu and 200 Jedi ignite their lightsabers in the stands, sparking a massive melee against the droid forces. During the battle, Mace Windu beheads Jango Fett. However, the droids’ superior numbers eventually surround the surviving Jedi.
Just as all hope seems lost, Yoda arrives with the newly commissioned clone army aboard Republic gunships. The clones rescue the Jedi, and a full-scale battle erupts on the plains of Geonosis. The Clone Wars have begun. As the Separatist forces retreat, Dooku flees with the plans for a new superweapon—the Death Star.
Duel with Dooku
Obi-Wan and Anakin pursue Dooku to a secret hangar. Anakin charges in recklessly and is incapacitated by Dooku’s Force lightning. Obi-Wan engages the Sith Lord alone but is outmatched by Dooku’s elegant dueling style and is wounded. Anakin recovers and steps in, wielding two lightsabers for a moment before Dooku severs his right arm. As Dooku prepares to deliver the killing blow, Yoda enters the hangar.
The two masters engage in a titanic clash of Force powers and lightsaber combat. Realizing he cannot defeat Yoda quickly, Dooku topples a massive pillar onto the wounded Obi-Wan and Anakin, forcing Yoda to break off the attack to save them. Dooku escapes and flees to Coruscant, where he meets his master, Darth Sidious. Sidious is pleased, declaring that everything is proceeding as planned.
Begun, the Clone War Has
In the aftermath, the Jedi Council reflects on the dark times ahead. Obi-Wan warns that Dooku claimed the Senate is under the control of a Sith Lord named Darth Sidious. Yoda, wary of the dark side's deception, agrees they must monitor the Senate closely. As thousands of clone troopers board starships to spread war across the galaxy, Anakin and Padmé return to Naboo. In a secret ceremony by the lake, with only C-3PO and R2-D2 as witnesses, the Jedi and the Senator are married, sealing their forbidden love as the galaxy descends into chaos.
